Improvement in car-couplings



NITED STATES JAMES C. GENTRY, OF RALLS COUNTY, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT lN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,072, dated February 29, 1876; application filed 1 January 11, 1876. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. GENTRY, a resident of Ralls county, State of Missouri,

. have inventeda new and useful Improvement lings wherein the operation of coupling is automatic.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A

represents one of two similar draw-heads, the

other draw-head not being shown. In its outward form it may be of the ordinary form, but within it, and moving longitudinally therein, is a sliding bolt, B. The bolt is moved outward by the action of thespring O. D represents the coupling-pin. Its upper end is held in a yoke, E. Beneath thedraw-head .is a plate, F, which is connected with the yoke E above by lIlBlllSOf the bolts G G, which pass down on either side of the mouth of the drawhead, and, preferably, through the lips a a, &c., which serve as guides, H represents a spring, the inner end of which is fastened to the. draw-head at h. Theother outer end bears upon the plate F.

The operationotthe invention is as follows: Let the parts be in the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the sliding bolt B, by means of the spring 0, is pushed out far enough to come under the pin D, and hold the latter high enough for the coupling-link I to come beneath it. The coupling-link, held in the opposing draw-head, is brought, as the drawheads come together, against the bolt B, drivin g it in sufficiently for the pin 'D to drop through the link. As soon as the sliding bolt B has cleared the pin the latter, being acted on by the springH, acting through the plate F, bolts G G, and yoke E, is drawn sharply down into position. To uncouple, the pin D is drawn upward by any suitable means, preferably actuated from the top of thecar. As the pin is raised the spring 0 acts 011 the sliding bolt B, driving it out and underneath the pin. To prevent the bolt from going too far been employed to raise the coupling-pin to enable the link to pass beneath; but, in both of the constructions referred to, the pin drops from gravity alone, which method would not answer my purpose, which is to, employ positive means of such a character as'to insure the descent of the pin. 1 therefore disclaim them.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'1. The combination of the drawhead A,

sliding bolt B, spring 0, pin D, yoke E, plate F, bolts G G, and spring described.

2. The combination of the pin D, yoke E, bolts G G, plate F,'and spring H, substantially as described.

. JAMES C. GENTRY. Witnesses:

JOSHUA H. GENTRX, JAMES W. LEAR.

PATENT OFFICE.

H, substantially as 

